In the film, a savage gangster, played by Woody Harrelson, goes on a rampage after an out-of-work-actor, played by Sam Rockwell, steals his beloved shih tzu Bonny. Rockwell works for a professional dognapper, played by Christopher Walken, who picks up pooches and returns them for the reward money.

“It’s kind of a cruel thing to do,” McDonagh told Entertainment Weekly. “But these guys are good guys about it. They take care of the dogs, and give them back promptly, and they don’t charge a lot.”

Farrell stars as Rockwell's buddy, a struggling screenwriter who is working on a script titled 'Seven Psychopaths' and gets caught up in his pal's troubles.

Harrelson's character was originally going to be played by Mickey Rourke, who dropped out of the production and called McDonagh a "jerkoff" saying "he wanted a whole lot for nothing."

Says McDonagh of the behind-the-scenes drama: “I was fine with it. Mickey’s a great actor,” he says. “I’ve known Woody for years and years, and he was a perfect choice for this, too. He’s got those great dramatic elements, which he’s shown in Rampart recently, and he’s always been a fantastic comedian. You need that in this — someone who can be out-and-out funny, but also turn sinister on a dime.”

The writer-director, who is also an accomplished playwright, won an Oscar for his 2005 short 'Six Shooter.'

“The comedy elements in this one are probably stronger or more to the forefront than 'In Bruges,'” says McDonagh, who received an Academy Award nomination for that script.

Harrelson’s character, Charlie, “adores his shih tzu,” McDonagh says.

“Really, we all adore Bonny!” (The real name of the dog._ “He loves that dog more than anything in the world and would do anything to protect it.”

“Obviously, things don’t go according to plan, and the people who cause Bonny not to be with him get their comeuppance,” McDonagh adds.